Whether genetic counseling is a form of psychotherapy is open for debate. Early practicioners in genetic counseling described it as such, and this claim has been replicated in recent publications. This commentary is a rebuttal to the claim that genetic counseling is distinct from psychotherapty. We argue that it is a a form of psychoterapy that aims to help clients manage a health threat that affects their psychological wellbeing, paralleling the goals of psychotherapy.

Benign testicular teratomas are always thought to be pediatric neoplasms and previously all the teratoid tumors in the adult testis regarded as malignant. Recently, three publications reported benign testicular teratomas in adulthood and the latest WHO classification refers them as "prepubertal type of teratomas" which rarely appear in adulthood. These neoplasms behave benign and seemingly analogous independently whether they appear in pre- or postpubertal patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency of benign testicular teratomas both in children and adults...

Epileptic seizures represent a relatively frequent issue in patients with intracranial neoplasms, and very frequently imply the start of an antiepileptic treatment as secondary prophylaxis. Even if the current level of evidence is relatively low, compounds with a limited risk of pharmacokinetic interactions are clearly preferred. Levetiracetam is probably the most prescribed agent in this setting, while pregabalin, valproate, lacosamide and lamotrigine are valuable alternatives. The treatment choice has to consider the different profiles of side effects and should be tailored to each patient...

There are no effective therapies for the treatment of chronic subjective tinnitus. The present study aims to compare two therapeutic approaches: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and a Biopsychosocial Approach (BPS). Results show no difference in evolution of tinnitus' perception between the beginning of the study and after 12 months of treatment in both treatment groups. Important anxiety could be a factor contributed towards the abandonment or ineffectiveness of treatments. Patients with more biopsychosocial comorbidities are more receptive to therapies...

INTRODUCTION: Due to the increasing numbers of Muslims in Germany(1)--about 4.3 million at the moment--more Muslim patients are medicated in the practices of family doctors. Their heterogeneous cultural and religious backgrounds are nontheless unknown and unfamiliar for the treating general practitioner. Based on the daily experiences of the latter and in order to capture their development of intercultural competence, in the present study a brainwriting with general practitioners was conducted to record their spontaneous associations with Muslim patients...

It is estimated that the chronic, fragile and complex patient represents 5% of the general population, but uses up to 65% of the total amount of health care resources. Older people who are dependent, with chronic illnesses and comorbidities need professional care that promotes self-care and self-management of their illnesses. Thus, new strategies need to be considered to channel those professional care services to focus on this group. Nurse practicioners are professionals who could lead this change to improve the sustainability of the health care system, since they are in a position to respond in an effective way to the demands of patients with chronic illnesses, dependency or fragility...

Today, the term depression has lost its meaning. Recent scientific data suggests a change in our classifications of mental disorders. Depression is frequently used to refer to "normal" sadness, anxiety disorders, personality disorders or adjustment disorders... Moreover, in our society, this diagnosis remains badly accepted. It is really time to be aware of the deterioration of the image of psychiatry, and particularly the bad image of depression and its treatment with antidepressants. This paper is a reflexion inviting general practicioners and psychiatrists to progressively avoid the term depression and rather use the diagnosis of unipolar mood disorder, a broader concept, more adapted to new scientific data, less stigmatizing, and closer to the evolution of our society...

Fluid therapy is important for many medical conditions in veterinary patients. The assessment of patient history, chief complaint, physical exam findings, and indicated additional testing will determine the need for fluid therapy. Fluid selection is dictated by the patient's needs, including volume, rate, fluid composition required, and location the fluid is needed (e.g., interstitial versus intravascular). Therapy must be individualized, tailored to each patient, and constantly re-evaluated and reformulated according to changes in status...

In Italian Territory Medicine there is no consolidated habitude, by Family General Practicioners and Paediatricians, to use Guidelines for diagnosis and management of diseases. Therefore, 19 General Practicioners, organized in a cooperative group, have identified a guideline on COPD, a disease often underdiagnosed and inappropriately treated, and verified, over 3 years of application, if it is possible, in clinical practice, to modify diagnostic-therapeutic habitudes. The results - even inferior to expectations for most of the indicators used - showed an increase in the number of cases diagnosed as COPD, possibly linked to a greater use of spirometry and chest Rx...

INTRODUCTION: An adverse event after immunization is a medical incident following the administration of vaccine, which can be connected with vaccine usage. This event could be a reaction to a vaccine component or lapse in vaccine handling, transport and storage or coincidental event. The assessment of severity of this reaction and the decision about prospective permanent contraindications for futher immunization are to be made by the regional expert team for permanent contraindications...

Germany wants to introduce some models to allow nurses to work in medical roles. Although hospital nurses worked hard during the last couple of years to concentrate on pure patient care and to detach themselves from medicine, a short additional training of 6-12 months duration is planned to allow them to work independently in well defined areas of medicine (high blood pressure, wound care, dementia, diabetes). However, success of such models has only been tested in a few studies. Study results and experience with such models in the UK - where these developments are much more advanced - are not only positive...

During an acute hospital stay, unpredictable glycemic changes related to the combined effects of multiple factors always ask for an increased attention to diabetes management. Initially an insulin treatment which has to be adjusted individually based on continuous glycemic follow-up is usually inevitable. This requires adequate coordination between the various health-care professionals who are simultaneously and successively involved in patient care. A proper discharge plan including reassessment of treatment, developed in consultation with the practicioners in charge of outpatient follow-up is a key component of this process...

In November 2009 the first European guidelines were presented regarding preoperative risk assessment and perioperative management in non-cardiac surgery. They were designed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and endorsed by the European Society of Anesthesiology.In a standardized manner, patient-specific clinical variables, their exercise capacity and surgery-specific risk factors are summarized to a recommendation concerning medication and preoperative cardiac evaluation. These guidelines are straightforward and feasible for cardiologists as well as specialists in internal medicine and general practicioners...

BACKGROUND: In some Western countries, more and more patients seek initial treatment even for minor injuries at emergency units of hospitals. The initial evaluation and treatment as well as aftercare of these patients require large amounts of personnel and logistical resources, which are limited and costly, especially if compared to treatment by a general practitioner. In this study, we investigated whether outsourcing from our level 1 trauma center to a general practitioner has an influence on patient satisfaction and compliance...

Depression is frequently diagnosed and treated by general practicioners. In observational study we investigated the influence of the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms on the frequency of patients' questions about mental disorder and their tendency to misinterpret the signs and symptoms of depression as side effects of medication. In 60 public health centers across Slovenia a total of 422 patients with depression treated with paroxetine were included. After one week of treatment one quarter of patients reported adverse effects and 15% of these patients misinterpreted signs of depression and anxiety for adverse effects...

METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 50 000 general practicioners (GP) and specialists. RESULTS: 4,898 physicians (9.4%) responded, including 59.1% GP, 16.9% pneumologists, 13% pediatricians and about 10% other specialists, ENT, allergologists, and intensivists. The main reason for pneumologists to prescribe nebulization was the efficiency on long term of approved drugs. GP prescribe nebulization for its local effects, using unapproved drugs, on short periods of time, especially in COPD, asthma, bronchitis and tracheitis/laryningitis...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether consulting a general practicioner (GP) in the 3 years after reporting knee pain is linked to better knee pain outcomes (reduced presence or severity of knee pain) at the end of the 3 year period. METHODS: We undertook a population-based cohort study linking baseline (2000) and follow-up (2003) surveys to primary care medical records. The cohort comprised 1577 adults aged 50 and over registered at 3 general practices in North Staffordshire, UK, who reported knee pain in a baseline survey...

C-myc is an oncogene that functions both in the stimulation of cell proliferation and in and apoptosis. C-myc elicits its oncogenic activity by causing immortalization, and to a lesser extent the transformation of cells, in addition to several other mechanisms. C-myc may also enhance or reduce the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy, but how this dual function is controlled is largely unclear. Cyclin D1 (D1) is another oncogene that drives cell cycle progression; it acts as a growth factor sensor to integrate extracellular signals with the cell cycle machinery, though it may also promote apoptosis...